Here, Hear

Hair cells in our ears wave about in noise, converting sound into mechanical forces that shape messages bound for the brain. But hair cells are fragile – destroyed by some diseases, or after prolonged exposure to loud noise. And once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Or are they? Here researchers investigate layers of cells in parts of a mouse’s cochlea, highlighting characteristic proteins in hair cells (red) and supporting cells (green). But these lines are blurred – some green cells are also becoming red. Researchers believe blocking an important developmental switch called Notch, triggers transdifferentiation – the changing of some of the supporting cells into new hair cells. Like picking a lock, controlling Notch could be the first step to unlocking regeneration of the cochlea and restoring hearing in mice and humans alike.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video from work by Lama Khalaily and colleagues
• Department of Human Genetics and Computational Medicine, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Science Advances, June 2026